Saving a Heart
by bluejay19
Summary: Sora slapped Riku across the face. "Get yourself together, Riku! First rule of being a mercenary - never fall in love with your client!" Riku laughed."What about you, Sora?" When Keyblade Masters Riku and Sora are hired to take Princess Namine and her maidservant Kairi to King Mickey, they weren't prepared for the heartache.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The characters and setting are of Kingdom Hearts, but many of the details are warped up to suit my needs... Some of the details will be contradictory to the KH.

SAVING A HEART

Chapter 1

* * *

He brushed off the last crumbs of bread off his lap and took out his pocket watch. _12:35._

Snapping the watch shut, he stood up. "C'mon Sora, we need to get going,"

The young man called Sora remained unfazed and seated. He maintained his steady attack on the half eaten platter of roasted garlic chicken. "Hell no, Riku, I'm still hungry."

Riku raised an eyebrow at the high stacks of empty bowls and dishes next to Sora that wavered precariously. Chicken noodle soup, chicken nuggets, spicy chicken feet, chicken salad, chicken with mixed vegetables, honey glazed chicken with sweet potatoes, chicken curry, chicken tender with pepper…The list went on. He cautiously halved the stacks. "Sure. One thing Sora, you're never full."

Sora plopped a piece of chicken into his grinning mouth, "Hey, a man's got to eat. Some just need a little more nutrition than others."

Riku scoffed. "A little? Sometimes I wonder if I should just let you eat to yourself to death. But I realize the chicken would run out first."

"You're a hero, Riku."

Ignoring Sora, Riku went on. "How'd you even pay for your food until now?"

Sora moaned, "Don't remind me. Before I teamed up with you, I barely made enough to keep myself alive."

"How much is that?"

"Mnn…I could afford only five to seven dishes a meal. Those were the hard times."

Five to seven dishes a meal meant Sora had made at least 20000 munny a day. That was at least three times the wage of your average street mercenary.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Well, highness, if you want to continue your extravagant lifestyle, get your ass moving. This one's worth a fortune." He glanced at his watch again. 12:38. "We're already late, Sora. We promised to meet them an hour after noon. It takes 20 minutes from here to Twilight Town and we still haven't gotten into our armor. You know how damn hard it is getting into the armor."

Sora brutally stabbed the chicken with his fork. "We can make it in 15, and we can wear the armor later. Besides wasting food is a sin. You don't want to make me a sinner, do you?

"I'll buy you 2 packs of dried chicken strips if we get there on time. In armor."

"Make that three large packs and we have a deal."

"If we're late, you owe me 10 bars of paopu ice cream."

Sora smirked. "Just make sure you have that chicken ready and hand me my armor."

* * *

A middle aged man poorly disguised as a commoner paced around anxiously near the Twilight Town Clock Tower. Next to him stood a commoner boy that looked bored beyond belief, a red headed young woman who was impatiently tapping her foot against the concrete floor, and a nervous person wrapped up in a black cloak. The man asked the teen boy for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"Boy, are you sure these people are professionals?"

The son of the information broker recited in a dull voice what he had told the man for what seemed to be the millionth time. "Ain't doubt of about it, yer grace. Both master wielders of the Keyblade, every un' who's any un' knows Riku and Sora is best. Possibly them is best in the entire country. Gets the job done pat and nice, yer grace."

The lad shifted from one side to another and added as an afterthought.

"Yer grace would have 'ad to wait months without mah pa. Ye see, them are in 'igh demand, ya. Yer grace was lucky mah pa has connections. "

The redhead snapped at the boy, "Then pray tell me, why these Riku and Sora aren't here yet?"

The boy shrugged one shoulder. "Dunno. Riku and Sora are busy people." The boy nodded at the clock tower. An' there still be minute or two left."

The man rubbed his thinning scalp. "Let's just hope these men are as good as you say they are."

The bundle of cloth that had been silent this entire time stiffened. She slowly pointed towards the two horsemen that were approaching them from a distance.

"Shush, here they come."

They remained silent as they waited for the men to come before them.

* * *

Namine quickly hid the hand she had been pointing with back under her cloak. She peered out from under her hood and studied the two figures.

They didn't seem much older than her, which was a surprise. She had thought they'd be in their early forties or at least thirties. Instead, both were young. As expected of mercenaries, they were also lean and fit. The one that seemed older of the two had his long silver hair tied into a ponytail and sea green eyes. The younger one had short messy brown hair, and electric blue eyes. Both men were impossibly good-looking. But then again, lives weren't saved with looks.

She shuddered. These people were the ones she'd have to entrust her life and Kairi's with for 2 months.

Both men unmounted their horses when they drew close. The brown haired man was shorter than the silver haired man by a few centimeters.

The young boy ran up to the two men. "Riku, Sora!"

The brunette picked the boy up and swung him around. "Hey Pence, you've grown...ugh heavier. Where's Hayner?"

"He's with Olette. Pa sent just me to get ye to yer clients."

Riku and Sora turned to face the man and the two ladies. Sora put Pence down. Riku slightly bowed his head in greeting while Sora grinned brightly.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Riku, at your service.

"Sora at your service. Pleased to meet you."

 _Ding_

The clock struck one o' clock. The man checked his own watch. In a dry voice he said, "Just in time it seems."

The brunette grinned even wider. "So it seems."

The man opened his wallet. After counting out 50000 munny, he gave it to Pence. "Your job is done. Take this to your father."

Pence's eyes widened at the large sum of money. "Thank ye, yer grace."

The man regarded Riku and Sora. "This place is too open. Let us speak somewhere more private."

-tbc

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

They sat on the sofas in one of the clock tower's rentable rooms - Riku and Sora on one sofa, the man and Namine on the other. The redhead stood near the door as a lookout.

After scrutinizing the two men in front of him, the man seemed displeased. "I apologize if this sounds offending, but you both seem…very young. May I ask your age?"

Sora thrusted a thumb towards Riku. "Riku's 26, he's started this shit- er, business since 15. I'm 25. Both my mom and dad were mercenaries, so I lived with this job my entire life. Started going solo when I was 15. We've both had at least 10 years of experience... and we're still alive."

The man wasn't convinced. "I'm sure you are _very_ confident in your skills. But this mission is much more significant than any of the petty guard jobs you've had before. It's of much importance that I am able to judge your skills _objectively_ …"

Sora's eyebrow twitched. Before he could say anything, Riku quickly responded.

"Of course sir, many have questioned our skill before, but none has ever been dissatisfied." Riku drew a stack of papers from his sack. "Perhaps this can put your qualms to rest."

Without looking away from Riku, the man took the papers. As he flipped through the pages one by one, his expression changed from suspicion to surprise to respect. From the side, Namine managed to catch a few words. _Fifth Consecutive Champion of the Hades Cup: Riku Stalvan, Victor of the Keyblade Bloodbath: Sora Strife._

The man looked up. "Strife? Wasn't he the man who stopped Sephiroth 26 years ago?"

Sora nodded. "Cloud Strife. He's my dad. He did it together with my mom, Tifa. I was their...celebration accident"

The man looked back at the paper.

 _Escorted Alice through the Lotus Forest, Sabotaged Captain Hook's Ship, Assisted Aladdin in the Cave of Wonders …._ Halfway through the file, the man put it down. "There is no need to see any more. Though it would have been better if you were older, I am persuaded that you men are indeed capable."

Sora smirked.

The man continued, "I must ask though, why are such talented men not serving the Royal Army? With your ability, you'd be able to get yourself quite high a rank."

Riku answered with simple words. "We prefer freedom to titles."

"We want to decide and act on our own terms rather than on orders from some higher-up _geezer_ who has many things other than helping the people on his agenda." Sora added.

Riku groaned inwardly. _Sora._

The man stared at Sora. "It is long time I introduced myself. I am Duke Eraqus of Raymond Alley. I am also the higher-up _geezer_ in charge of the Fifth Division of the Royal Army."

Riku narrowed his eyes at Sora. Sora looked back at him. _What. I did it on purpose. I knew he was some kind of a big shot._

"The job lasts for at least 3 months, starting tomorrow. If you manage to finish the job, which you _must_ , the reward is 1,500,000 munny a day and a 5,000,000,000 munny bonus on the last day if all is satisfactory. Will you do it?"

Riku's eyes widened, and Sora froze. They exchanged worried looks. The bigger the award, the more dangerous it was. Neither of them wanted to get swept up in something they didn't sign up for.

Sora spoke carefully. "Your grace, before we take on the job, we must know exactly what we are expected to do."

The duke shook his head vehemently. "It is essential that you promise to do the job before I can tell you what you are to do." He looked almost apologetic. "Though you men seem to be trustworthy, it is of utmost importance that the number of people who know about this is kept to the minimum."

"…Please give us a moment to consider," said Sora.

The duke nodded. "We will come back in 30 minutes. Please understand that we don't have much time." He hesitated. "If the reward is too small, we are willing to pay more."

As soon as the door shut and only Riku and Sora were left in the room, Sora stood up. "No."

Riku rose from his seat as well and smiled. "But the money, Sora. We could be rich. You could have as much chicken as you want."

"Don't fuck with me, you care for the money as little as I care for that duke. Riku, this reeks of danger. No."

"Aren't you even curious about what this secret job is about?"

"Not if it's going to cost me my life."

"It seems fun."

Sora ran a hand through his hair. "For god's sake, Riku. What's up with you? You don't even like this kind of shit.

Riku sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're right. I don't like this any more than you do. But I don't know, Sora. They seemed so desperate. They're searching for the best, and you know there aren't many who can get past the two of us… It didn't feel like the typical rich people's paranoia when the duke said this job was serious."

Sora was unmoved. "All the more I don't want to do this. I want to live to a ripe old age."

* * *

When the duke came back in exactly 30 minutes later with Namine and Kairi, the two mercenaries were sitting in their seats. Sora was chewing ferociously on dried chicken strips.

The duke looked stiffly at the two men.

Riku grimly regarded the duke. "Explain the job to us."

The duke tensed. "You accept?"

"For now, just as your grace has proposed. We'll talk more about the price after we hear what we have to do."

The duke nodded tersely. "That would be wise." He brought out a map from his ragged tunic and spread it on the mahogany coffee table. "From approximately a month ago, Heartless have begun straying from their usual grounds and have started entering palace grounds. If it were just the Pureblood ones, we wouldn't have been as worried. Wight Knights, Eliminators, Red Bandits, Large Bodies… Emblem Heartless have been appearing indiscriminately. The Royal Army have their hands full keeping them out of town."

Sora was startled. "Don't those live deep in the forest? It's hard to come upon one even when you're looking for them."

"Precisely. We thought it strange and with my division, I went deeper into the Dark Forest." The man involuntarily shivered. "We found the forest brimming with hordes of Heartless. They were crawling all over one another. Staying concentrated in one place was too strange a behavior for even the Heartless. They seemed to be under orders of some sort. We sent our best agents to find out what was going on."

Riku laced his fingers together. "What did they find out, your grace?"

"…Have you ever heard of Organization XIII?"

-tbc

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, an update for this one. The story is nearly sorted out, and I had this guy almost completely written in my computer for some time, so here you go!

* * *

"...Have you ever heard of Organization XIII?"

Sora made a face. "Yeah. Weren't they some group of Nobodies that steal hearts? I thought that was just a myth to scare little kids."

"Unfortunately, they're real. Organization XIII is a group of thirteen powerful Nobodies who will do anything to reclaim their hearts and become whole again. They are unable to feel remorse or regret because of their lack of heart and are brutal because of it. The problem is that they have power to control the Heartless and lower ranking Nobodies. We believe they are the ones behind this."

Alarmed, Riku and Sora looked at each other. "Your grace…You can't be asking us to take down these people by ourselves?"

"Quite the opposite. I'm asking you to take these two ladies secretly," he gestured to Namine and Kairi. "To the realm of King Mickey."

Sora couldn't help but let out a laugh of disbelief. Riku asked stiffly. "So in the end, it's about keeping your daughters safe, while the rest of the kingdom get overrun by Heartless."

The duke stared long and hard at Riku. Riku evenly met his stare.

A soft but firm voice broke the tension. "Sir, you are mistaken. Eraqus was sent by my father to ensure the safety of the kingdom."

Sora and Riku looked blankly at the young woman beside the duke.

"…Jasmine, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella."

It was the duke.

"Those are the princesses that have gone missing during the past months. It seems Organization XIII is after the Princesses of the Heart. And they've located one here in Twilight Town."

Realization dawned on the two mercenaries. Sora looked at Namine. "Then this is…"

Eraqus nodded. "One of the seven princesses of the heart: Princess Namine. The Organization will keep the Heartless coming until they get what they want. The Royal Army is having a hard time dealing with the Heartless as is. We don't know how much longer they'll hold out."

The duke sighed. "After much deliberation, the council has decided to send the princess away from this country. The Organization will stop attacking Twilight Town when they realize the princess isn't here. During the time the Organization isn't focused on us, our country will contact other worlds to come up with measures against the Organization. Your job is to escort the princess and her lady-in-waiting safely to King Mickey's Castle. From there you are to guard them until you receive further notice. Your role is of utmost importance as you _must_ not let the Organization capture the princess during the journey to Disney Town.

"It takes three months to go to Disney Town from here. For three months, we're expected to dodge bloodthirsty Heartless and powerful Nobodies? Your grace, isn't there another way?" Sora asked.

Duke Eraqus slammed his fist on the table. "Do you not think we have tried to think of other ways?" The duke stopped and took a deep breath. "Mr. Stalvan, Mr. Strife, the 24 messengers we sent to other kingdoms all turned up dead with their hearts ripped out _._ There is no other way."

A moment of silence ensued.

Riku broke the silence.

"Do we have any other information on Organization XIII?"

The duke shook his head. "Only what I've told you before."

"We leave tomorrow?"

The duke nodded. "We'll meet in front of the Gate."

* * *

The next day, they met in front of the Gate. Riku and Sora came dressed as lower class merchants. A simple carriage was latched onto their horses. Duke Eraqus was waiting for them with the cloaked girls. The duke nodded to the Keyblade Masters. Grimly, they nodded back.

Sora pointed to the four large trunks next to the duke. "These the ladies' belongings?"

The duke motioned yes with his hand. Riku and Sora dismounted silently and began heaving the bags into the carriage. While the two men were busy with their task, the duke turned to the girls for a final farewell.

He bowed to Namine. "My princess, I hope to hear from you in 3 months time, safe in Disney Town."

She lightly pecked him on the cheek. "Be safe, Eraqus. Thank you for everything."

He turned to Kairi. "Take care of your mistress, but don't forget to take care of yourself as well, child. May no harm come your way."

Kairi threw herself onto the duke and embraced him fiercely. The duke was startled, but his eyes softened and he hugged the girl back. When they parted, the redhead's eyes were bright with tears. "You were always like a father to me. I'll never forget you, old fart."

"It was always my pleasure to care for you, Kairi. And if everything goes according to plan, you'll be getting a lesson from me on how to properly address your elders in three months."

She wiped her eyes. "I'll be looking forward to that. Don't you dare die on me."

The duke smiled. "Your father left you in my care knowing I wouldn't croak so easily. You keep yourself out of trouble."

Riku coughed politely. "Sir, It's time to go."

The duke gave the redhead a gentle pat on the head and motioned for both girls to mount the carriage. They vanished inside.

"Mr. Stalvan, Mr. Strife, two of the four trunks encases what I believe to be sufficient to finance a comfortable journey."

Riku and Sora nodded, "Thank you, your grace."

Duke Eraqus brought out a rolled up piece of parchment from inside his coat. "In case you need any help on the way, this letter should grant you access to any resource you need. But most will wonder how men like yourselves gained such confidence from a duke, so do not use it without discretion. Show it only to those who ask no questions, or those who are unmistakably trustworthy. Nobody must know who the ladies' are. Lie if you have to." The duke emphasized. "And do not contact me by any means until you've reached Disney Town. You're on your own from now on."

Both men bowed in final greetings and were walking towards their mounts when the Duke grabbed Riku's shoulder. "Mr. Stalvan, Mr. Strife?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep _both_ of them safe. None of them should be harmed. This is of utmost importance."

Sora smiled. "That was the deal, your grace. A safe passage to Disney Town for _both_ ladies."

The duke was not satisfied. "You do not understand, not just the princess, but if either of the them gets harmed, this kingdom will be no longer. Protect both of them at any cost." The duke extended a hand.

Riku and Sora looked at one another, slightly confused. But Riku stepped up and firmly gripped the duke's hand. "At any cost."

And the duke left.

Riku and Sora watched the man trudge away before turning back to the journey ahead of them.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! This chapter was sort of sad to write, because I like writing playful fluff, and this wasn't it. But this was the way the characters interacted with each other, and thus this is the way the story shall flow.

* * *

 _Clackety Clack Clomp Clackety Clack Clomp_

They were out of the town and finally on the road.

Riku was holding the reins while Sora was looking at the map. The wind tousled their hair.

"Four days of riding in this deep dark boring forest with a couple of pish-posh nobles until we reach the next village." Sora dryly commented. "These next few months will be a _blast._ "

Riku shook his head. "Let's just hope we don't bump into any trouble this early on."

Sora rolled up the map and stuck it into his waist pouch. "Nothing will happen, Riku. You worry too much." Grabbing the bag beside him, he got up. "Guess I'll go check on the ladies. See what we have to work with."

Riku nodded. "Don't do anything stupid. And don't scare them."

Sora grinned impishly. "Who, me? I'm a professional, Riku." Before Riku could respond, Sora expertly jumped off the chariot and disappeared from his sight.

* * *

 _Knock Knock_

The two girls jerked in surprise when they heard the knock. Namine and Kairi exchanged glances. The time had come. Namine took a deep breath.

"Come in."

The door slid open. It was the brunette.

Swinging into the cart and out of the speeding wind, Sora looked back and forth at them with an unreadable expression until Kairi cleared her throat. Bowing slightly, he introduced himself. "Princess Namine." He addressed the princess. "My lady." He looked at Kairi. "I am Sora Strife, one of the guardians who will be escorting you on your journey. The other guardian, Riku Stalvan is driving the cart, so please excuse his absence. You'll be able to see him at lunchtime. Before that, there are a few things we must discuss." He spoke politely, but there was a trace of boredom lacing his voice.

"Does any of miladies have travel sickness?"

Namine and Kairi both shook their heads.

"Good. From what we understand, speed is of priority, so unless something comes up, we'll be constantly on the move with the exception of hour long breaks during meal times, and at night." He gestured to the wall on their left. "If you need anything, let us know through that door over there. It's connected to the driver's chariot, so we'll be in reach at all times. If it's something small, just open the flap on the door. You'll find that it's a window."

He fell silent and just looked at them again. Under his scrutinizing gaze, Kairi and Namine began feeling uncomfortable. Finally nodding, he tossed them the bag that he had brought with him. When he spoke, his voice had a hint of contempt. "Like I thought, your clothes are too flashy. I thought it was made clear yesterday that we would be posing as not-too-well-off traveling merchants on this journey. A blind man wouldn't be fooled with those clothes. Change into these."

Kairi retrieved the bag and opened it to find plain cotton peasant clothes.

"Any questions?" Sora asked.

Namine shook her head. "Not at the moment."

Sora looked at her blankly. "Oh gods no. You speak like a princess."

Kairi stiffened at his tone. Slightly intimidated, Namine spoke quietly. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes. A huge problem. Try talking normally."

"Huh?"

"You don't need to shout to the world that you're a princess. You're a peasant. Try talking peasant."

Kairi frowned. "Sir, please do not talk to her in such manner."

He turned his attention to Kairi and groaned. "Not you too. I thought you spoke normally. Repeat after me: Sora, don't talk to her like that."

"Sora, don't talk to her like that." Realizing she'd instinctively done what he'd asked, Kairi clamped her mouth shut in irritation.

"Terrible. Never mind. Just don't talk at all if you can help it."

He moved on to the bags that the two ladies had brought with them. "These were friggin' heavy. Mind if I take a look?"

Kairi's cheeks heated up. "You would rummage through a woman's belongings?"

Even Namine looked embarrassed. "It would be better if you didn't."

Sora looked annoyed. "What's more important, your life and possibly the lives of your entire country or your fucking pride? We were hired to protect the former."

Namine and Kairi still seemed against the idea.

Sora sighed. "Look, I don't want to do this either, but we don't know the hell that we're up against, and what we do know is that the Heartless aren't exactly big fat fluffy teddy bears. If we don't know what we're working with and what we have like the back of our palms, we're not at our best. We need your full cooperation. May. I. look."

It wasn't a question.

Kairi asked bitterly. "Why ask if you're going to look anyways?"

Namine looked down at her hands. "Do what you need to do."

He opened the trunks and examined their contents. Unperturbed by the underwear and other embarrassing daily necessities for ladies, his expression became darker by the minute. "Half the things in here are nothing but a burden to the horses. And what is this?" He opened an expensive-looking box and saw letters from the palace all addressed to Princess Namine. He stared at the princess. She looked away. He handed the box to her and quietly shut the trunks. He got up to go.

"When we reach the village, we're selling all the fancy clothes and other overly-priced objects in your possession." He looked at Namine. "Princess, my first suggestion is that you memorize those letters and burn them. If you can't, then find a less conspicuous pouch to keep the letters in, and hide the pouch in a place I will never be able to find. If I ever see those letters again during this trip, they will burn."

He opened the door of the moving cart. The wind started playing with his hair again. Just before he was ready to swing out again, he gave them a look of disdain. "Get your acts together. You're not on a deluxe vacation to Disney Town. We can't protect you unless you're prepared to protect yourself. See you during lunchtime, _Miladies_."

He left, leaving Namine and Kairi dumbfounded.

* * *

"Back." Sora nimbly returned to his seat.

Glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, Riku said. "You weren't rude, were you?"

"Nope." Sora popped the 'p'. "I was professional."

* * *

In the cart, Kairi was fuming. After exhausting her vast knowledge of aggressive language, she finally plopped onto the floor in irritation. "It's not as if we've ever done this before! How were we supposed to know what to bring and what not to bring? Did he have to be so rude? The nerve of him!"

Namine was putting on the clothes given by Sora. "He was just worried it'll do us harm."

"It didn't seem that way to me."

"…I'm sure that's what it was," said Namine uncertainly.

"Like anyone would care what we have, or how we speak!"

"Put on your clothes, Kairi."

She stabbed an arm into the hole of the worn out dress. "He was just trying to spite us. That or he's a paranoid freak."

Namine swiveled around and faced the redhead. "It's his job to be paranoid. One wrong move and everything would have been for naught. He's right. It's not just our lives on the line, but our country's. Kairi, he's a bit harsh, but he's not a bad man. He could have ordered me to burn those letters right then and there and I would not have been able to say a word against it. Instead, he gave me a second chance. Through this encounter I have become more trusting of his competence. He's a sharp and thorough man, and someone who can see the value of things not only precious to himself, but to others. We have chosen well."

Namine turned her attention back to putting on her clothes. "He was doing his job perfectly. We weren't. And now, our job is to learn what we did wrong and not do it again. "

* * *

When the sun rose high into the sky, Riku pulled the horses over to a halt.

Stretching his aching back, he grumbled. "After lunch, you're driving, Sora."

Sora's eyes glinted. "Oh no, Riku. I won the duel fair and square."

"Dammit, give me a break, you." Riku turned around and knocked on the door connecting to the carriage. The small flap on the door was slightly lifted to reveal a pair of eyes peering up at him questioningly. Startled at the striking blue eyes, he lost his words for a moment.

"It's time for lunch, my lady. Whenever you're ready, please come outside."

The eyes signaled consent and the flap was let down once more.

* * *

Riku was building the fire while Sora was gone looking for more firewood when Namine and Kairi came out.

"Sir Riku?" Namine asked.

Riku straightened his back and glanced up. Once he realized who had called him, he stood to greet them. Gracefully bowing he said, "Please call me Riku, your highness. My lady." He acknowledged Kairi with a small smile and another bow. "Has the ride been comfortable?"

He had a calm and self-assured air to him that came as a comfort to both of them.

"Yes, it has."

The princess' voice was melodic. Riku smiled playfully. "It won't be once you've ridden there for days straight. Make sure you stretch your legs during meal times, your highness."

Sora returned with the wood and a chicken with a concussion. Setting down the firewood next to the older man, he said. "Hey, Riku, you won't believe my luck. I found this juicy fat piece of meat just lying around, begging to be eaten. Today's menu is roasted chicken. I'll get the things from the cart." Barely glancing at the ladies, he went towards the carriage.

Riku noticed the redhead glaring daggers at the brunette. "Is something wrong, milady? Do you not like chicken?"

Blushing, Kairi hurriedly looked away. "No, I like roasted chicken."

Riku mentally swore at his partner. Sora's despise for nobles was untameable. "Then it must be that imbecile. Whatever he did, don't mind him, milady. He means well, but he's an idiot. Next time he says or does something stupid, take the liberty to thrash him. A few clonks on the head will do him some good."

Kairi was very interested. "How many is a few?"

Riku grinned, "As many as he deserves. But beat him after lunch, because he's the chef today and I prefer my food not burnt."

...tbc

* * *

Oh noes! Off to a bad start, them Sora and Kairi...

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